Business
West lags behind on jobs
Jobs growth in the west is much slower than in the rest of the country.
That’s according to a new Western Development Commission publication ‘Jobs Recovery and the Western Region’, released last week.
Over the three years from 2012 to 2015, the number of people at work in the region grew by just 2.8%, which was less than half the growth in the rest of the state at 6.3%.
Interestingly, many of the new jobs are classified as self-employed which demonstrates that there is an entrepreneurial culture in the region.
Over this period, the number of self-employed increased by 13.6% compared with just 0.7% growth in the number of employees.
Self-employment is a more important source of jobs in the region than elsewhere, with one in five working people in the region self-employed, compared with one in six in the rest of Ireland.
“While the jobs recovery that is taking place in the Western Region is welcome, the slower pace means the region is not fully benefitting from improving economic conditions.
“Limited job options, particularly in smaller towns, villages and more rural areas, means that more people are having to create their own jobs,” said WDC Chairman Paddy McGuinness.
“65,000 people work for themselves in the Western Region with over three-quarters of them working alone. Fully recognising and supporting self-employment as a source of jobs growth is central to the region’s future. Addressing issues such as social protection, broadband access, isolation and support to scale are vital for the region’s self-employed,” he added.
The region’s slower jobs recovery is impacting on young people – between 15 and 24 – in particular.
In 2015 the region’s youth unemployment rate was 30.8% compared with just 20% for those living in the rest of the country.
Young people who are out of work and not in education or training for a long time, face serious barriers in finding work.
Employment in several of the sectors where young people often find jobs, such as retail and hospitality, declined in the Western Region between 2012 and 2015, while it grew in the rest of the country.
“Our region’s young people are suffering because of the uneven regional spread of Ireland’s jobs recovery.
“This reality needs to be acknowledged and addressed in any Programme for Government agreed in discussions presently taking place on the formation of a new Government,” concluded Mr McGuinness.
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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